Members gottaknow Posted May 3, 2013 Members Report Posted May 3, 2013 I get frustrated sometimes for folks here who have machine problems. If I had the power to reach through the time and space of the internet, I'd fix everyone's machines for them so they could get on with the fun part of sewing... Back to reality..I'm working on some UTube videos to upload the basic settings that would apply to your machine. There are so many 111's, 211's, and their clones out there I think teaching in video form is much more effective than typing. I really hope to begin uploading some in the near future. There is another thread here that went on for quite a while that does have a lot of information that pertains to your machine. If you get bored, it's pretty long. Regards, Eric Quote
Members J Hayes Posted May 3, 2013 Members Report Posted May 3, 2013 (edited) I've read of people placing Nerf balls under the pedal to add resistance to help avoid a runaway or even bungie cords from the front of the pedal. A servo is really nice though. Edited May 3, 2013 by J Hayes Quote
Members Anne Bonnys Locker Posted May 3, 2013 Members Report Posted May 3, 2013 The tension assembly is held in by a screw on the body of the machine and is intended to be adjusted. The quickest solution is to but something under the foot that is halfway between the thickness you want to sew and the normal height of the foot lift using the needle bar. Undo the grub screw that holds the tension and ease it out a bit. Push it back in until the release pin starts to engage and then do up the grub screw. Check that you have full tension with your normal work and that the tension is released when you lift the foot. If you are too close to the upper limit then take out the tension release pin and just pull some thread manually through the tension assembly when you want to remove your work. That is how things were done on many old machines. Quote Darren Brosowski
Members miaoreo Posted May 3, 2013 Author Members Report Posted May 3, 2013 Thanks again.... Eric, Videos really do help. I have a small nerf football under the pedal (read that here, somewhere) Anne.... what is a "grub screw"? Sorry I have no idea. Quote
Members miaoreo Posted May 3, 2013 Author Members Report Posted May 3, 2013 Oh, and your thread breakage is likely related to the fact that you're not setting the stitch. There are loops left over from your previous stitch and the hook is simply coming around for the next stitch and the loop from your previous stitch is still there, so it grabs them both. This is characterized by a definate "snap" of of your top thread. Once you get your tension adjusted and the loops are pulled up properly, your thread will likely quit breaking. Most of all, have fun and don't get discouraged! Regards, Eric Eric... I can hear the "snap" now when the thread break. So does this mean the tension is too tight or too loose? and top or bottom tension? Thanks again for your time. Mia Quote
Members gottaknow Posted May 3, 2013 Members Report Posted May 3, 2013 Eric... I can hear the "snap" now when the thread break. So does this mean the tension is too tight or too loose? and top or bottom tension? Thanks again for your time. Mia Normaly, if your top tension is too loose or your bottom tension too tight, you'll get loops on the bottom. However, if your latch opener isn't set to open far enough, a loop will form and not get pulled up. The hook comes around and catches the newly formed loop as well as the previous one. The snap is the previous loop being broken. On occasion, you'll see a broken stitch yet the machine continues to sew. This happens on vertical hook machines when the needle bar is too low (timing issue), the hook timing is advanced (timing issue) or the latch opener isn't set correctly. It can also happen on thicker material even though it sews fine on thinner. You can also move up a needle size after adjusting your tension. A larger needle will allow a portion of the loop to slip back up the groove in the needle. This is especially true of bonded nylon where excessively large loops are an issue. Skipped stitches can also result as a loop that's too big tends to collapse sideways and get missed by the hook. If that happens, you'll get a skipped stitch and sometimes a broken one right after it. The one nice thing about verticle hooks is that you can put some scrap under the foot and open the cover and actually see what may be happening without standing on your head. I decribe the latch opener adjustment in that really long and often boring thread that is still fairly close at hand. Perhaps I'll give it a bump. Regards, Eric Quote
Members miaoreo Posted May 3, 2013 Author Members Report Posted May 3, 2013 Normaly, if your top tension is too loose or your bottom tension too tight, you'll get loops on the bottom. However, if your latch opener isn't set to open far enough, a loop will form and not get pulled up. The hook comes around and catches the newly formed loop as well as the previous one. The snap is the previous loop being broken. On occasion, you'll see a broken stitch yet the machine continues to sew. This happens on vertical hook machines when the needle bar is too low (timing issue), the hook timing is advanced (timing issue) or the latch opener isn't set correctly. It can also happen on thicker material even though it sews fine on thinner. You can also move up a needle size after adjusting your tension. A larger needle will allow a portion of the loop to slip back up the groove in the needle. This is especially true of bonded nylon where excessively large loops are an issue. Skipped stitches can also result as a loop that's too big tends to collapse sideways and get missed by the hook. If that happens, you'll get a skipped stitch and sometimes a broken one right after it. The one nice thing about verticle hooks is that you can put some scrap under the foot and open the cover and actually see what may be happening without standing on your head. I decribe the latch opener adjustment in that really long and often boring thread that is still fairly close at hand. Perhaps I'll give it a bump. Regards, Eric Ok I think what you are describing is exactly what is going on now. By sewing verrrrrryyyyyy slowly, like one stitch at a time. Basically slipping the clutch and turning the flywheel by hand. I can get it to sew the thicker material. The tiny tiny tiny screw for adjusting the bobbin thread tension I cannot turn. I took my screwdriver for my eyeglasses and tried. The slot in that screw is so shallow I can get no grip on it. The needle I am using is a Groz-Beckert 190 something, picture attached. What would be the next size... Needle sizing charts baffle me. And Yes, I know that is not the specified needle system for a 211G155 but those were too short. Quote
Members miaoreo Posted May 3, 2013 Author Members Report Posted May 3, 2013 Oh and in case anyone is interested. Here is what I am sewing... Mia Quote
Moderator Wizcrafts Posted May 4, 2013 Moderator Report Posted May 4, 2013 The GB needle in the photo is a metric 120, which translates into a Singer size 19, which is about right for B92 bonded thread, or size 80 jeans thread. "System 190" is a Pfaff needle system, which I happen to use on my two walking foot machines. These needles are about 3/16 inches longer than the usual system 135x16 and 17 used in walking foot machines. Using System 190 needles allows you to raise the needle bar by 3/16" above its normal timed position. This gives the presser feet that much more room to alternate when sewing thick material. This high lift system comes in handy when you sew piping with a 1/2 inch piping foot set. Quote Posted IMHO, by Wiz My current crop of sewing machines: Cowboy CB4500, Singer 107w3, Singer 139w109, Singer 168G101, Singer 29k71, Singer 31-15, Singer 111w103, Singer 211G156, Adler 30-7 on power stand, Techsew 2700, Fortuna power skiver and a Pfaff 4 thread 2 needle serger.
Members miaoreo Posted May 4, 2013 Author Members Report Posted May 4, 2013 Thank you Wiz, for the explanation. Mia. Quote
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